Tucked away on Ley Street in Como, Our Ruby Girl is a stunning, cheerful and welcoming cafe that should leap to the top of your Perth brunch list. Owned and operated by mother and dedicated community member Sarah, Our Ruby Girl screams of family, acceptance and joy.
The venue itself is visually stunning – it is bursting with greenery, blissfully decorated and features front windows that rise from floor to ceiling, allowing for plenty of sun to soak into your skin. Perhaps most notable is it’s huge floral feature wall that is perfect for your next Instagram post. It is also worth mentioning how neat Our Ruby Girl was, with clean and comfortable seating, floral arrangements on each table and no clutter in sight – it was a sure sign of the pleasure that was to come.
Our Ruby Girl has a pretty impressive list of drinks, from coffee to tea, fresh juice or smoothies, flavoured lattes and more. My flat white made by Lacey was delicious, pairing Locale 143 coffee with perfectly textured Bonsoy Milk (which is arguably the best soy you can get for barista use). Mel’s chai latte was spiced just right, with creamy dairy milk to match – perfect for a cool winter morning.
Onto the food, my goodness, what a spread! A vegan of five years, I am always a little tentative trying somewhere new – I have been burnt with plain chips and salad many times. I quickly learned there was no reason to worry, as Sarah and her staff were quick to accommodate me, recommending plenty of tasty options I could choose (more than one possibility, winning)!
I went with the smashed avocado upon Sarah’s suggestion, thinking the crowd favourite was sure to be the safest choice. Holy smokes, I was not disappointed. I know it is a big call, but Our Ruby Girl’s smashed avo is the best I’ve had. It was tangy, tasty and perfectly portioned – the flavours married together seamlessly, sending me straight to heaven with every bite. My plate was polished off with ease and I really wasn’t mad when Mel said no thanks to a bite (more for me)!
Speaking of Mel, she chose another classic – the eggs benny. Served with shaved pastrami rather than bacon, this eggs benny put a slight twist on this familiar dish, resulting in an absolute flavour sensation. The perfectly poached eggs were laid on a Holy Bagel sesame bagel and topped with mustard hollandaise for that extra tang – it is seriously a top contender for the best eggs benny in Perth.
The food was absolutely delightful, but the highlight of our brunch was the service. Sarah and her staff were attentive, approachable and professional. They looked after each table with care, checking us regularly to see how we were enjoying our meal or if they could get us anything else.
In case you didn’t know, Our Ruby Girl is an equal opportunity employer, meaning they hire people with disability. My younger brother Gryff has autism and seeing people with similar disability to him working in a renowned cafe really hit a soft spot for me, but I am sure most can appreciate this initiative.
As if it couldn’t get any better, Our Ruby Girl is a zero-waste cafe, meaning they have:
- No single-use plastics available
- A surcharge on takeaway coffee cups to encourage reusable alternatives
- Recycling and compost systems to manage scraps
- A kitchen garden to reduce excess resources
It is evident that Our Ruby Girl truly lives by their mantra – to leave a better world for generations to come. Their dedication to community service, sustainability and empowering people with disability is not only evident, but matched with incredible food and delightful service. They are open seven days a week, ’til 6pm on weekdays and 3pm on weekends, meaning ample opportunity to round up your crew for a banging brunch – I highly recommend you visit Our Ruby Girl as soon as you can.
by Grace Jones